If you find supporting documents later on, you can add them. In addition, approximately $2.4 million will be refunded to claimants who were paying back benefits received or applied toward overpayments not covered by the waivers. Four PUA COVID-19 eligibility reasons that were included at the beginning of the pandemic were later found by the U.S. Department of Labor to be non-qualifying. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Were not finished providing substantial relief to Michigan workers, said UIA Director Julia Dale. In the report on Wednesday, the Free Press showed that in at least some of the cases, the mistake was the state's and not the claimants'. Make sure to keep your contact information updated in your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account so you get any notices from the UIA. The Program works with judges, courts, lawyers, bar associations, nonprofit legal aid agencies, legal self-help centers, libraries and many others to promote coordinated and quality assistance for persons representing themselves in civil legal matters in Michigan. All Rights Reserved. The UIA must get your written protest within 30 days from the date it is issued. Thanks to these waivers that we fought for and secured Michiganders will get to keep their hard-earned money.. You can appeal online through your MiWAM account. An independent report published late last year found Michigan paid $8.5 billion in fraudulent or intentional misrepresentation unemployment payments. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. State unemployment insurance program overpayments. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that it has issued another round of waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 WebThe UIA is responsible for collecting overpayments of unemployment benefits. The individual submitted required proof of earnings used to calculate Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Weekly Benefit Amount and the state incorrectly processed the calculation, resulting in a higher WBA under the PUA program. The announcement came in the wake of allegations of unconstitutional overpayment collection notices sent out to thousands of Michigan residents. The waivers provide fresh hope for Michiganders who faced paying back the federal government for benefits they received based on frequently shifting federal and state program rules. When you file your appeal, ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). Some examples of good cause include: You can protest online through your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM). According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. The pause does not stop collections activities such as existing wage garnishments, intercepting federal tax returns, deducting a percentage from current unemployment benefit payments, or recovering overpayments for other states.. For more information on the Financial Hardship Waiver and how to find it on your MiWAM account, visit page 89 of the MiWAM Toolkit for Claimants. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today that it has issued another round of waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from workers in Michigan. and last updated 7:40 PM, Feb 07, 2022. If you want to appeal to the UIAC, you may want to speak with a lawyer. Under federal law, UIA had to re-evaluate PUA eligibility for individuals who selected one of the non-qualifying reasons. Protests can take 10 months or longer to be resolved. Here is what we know so far: The U.S. Department of Labor has been clear since May of 2021 that states like Michigan have broad powers to waive so-called overpayments on Pandemic Unemployment Benefits created by the CARES Act. Use the Guide to Legal Help to find a legal services office near you. Michigans unemployment agency announced another round of waivers and refunds for filers who were overpaid and asked to pay back the overpayment. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced that it has issued waivers to approximately 7,300 state and federal COVID-19 jobless claims from workers in Michigan. "For those who have responded, we're reviewing their cases to determine if they have an eligible COVID-19 related reason and if they may continue to receive benefits," said Acting UIA Director Liza Estlund Olson. The waivers will apply to state and federal benefits that claimants received between March 15, 2020, and May 30, 2021, under a state jobless claim, extended benefits, or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). To date, more than $4.3 billion in overpayments have been waived for 400,000 Michigan unemployment recipients with likely thousands more still waiting. Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) provides the connections, expertise and innovative solutions to drive continued business growth, build vibrant communities, create affordable housing, generate tourism and attract and retain key talent to fill Michigans vast pipeline of opportunities. If this happens, you can use the same Financial Hardship waiver process. Waivers will be granted to the initial group of approximately 350,000 non-responses, many of whom may no longer be collecting benefits. Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. If you dont repay an overpayment, the UIA may: Unlike most other types of debt, the UIA can do all of these things without going to court. The UIA still is working to identify additional individuals who may deserve waivers from the overpayment notices they got after receiving federal aid during the pandemic. Michigan ice Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued,the first group of blanket waivers went out to 55,000 claimants. Claims determined to be fraudulent or being investigated for fraud. The approximately 55,000 claimants who received a waiver represent a total of$431 million in overpayments that they won't have to pay back. "For those who did not respond, we want to assure them that claimants who are no longer eligible won't have to return the money they received when, through no fault of their own, they chose one of the four non-eligible reasons.". If you run into problems, you may want to try to contact a lawyer. Additionally, roughly $11 million will be refunded to claimants who had been paying back their federal benefits overpayment, or it will be applied to any outstanding debt a claimant may have. Lynda Robinson, a spokesperson for the agency, said she didn't have any estimates on how many claimants may also qualify for a waiver and when they might receive one. Once you have logged into your account, click on the "Determination Status" tab, and then click on "file a protest.". If you want the ALJ to see any documents, you will need to send it to the judge before the hearing. Awarding waivers is a cornerstone of Director Dales reform of the UIA, including chasing down bad actors who steal money from workers, striving for exemplary customer service and leading the effort to replace the Agencys decade-old computer system with a user-friendly, state-of-the-art interface for claimants and businesses. You can use the Guide to Legal Help to get information about finding a lawyer. To find out if they can help you, apply online or call 1-888-783-8190 Monday - Thursday, 9am - 5pm, or Friday, 9am - 1pm. Readers can follow our Facebook page for developments on the UIA waiver program and the UIA class-action lawsuit. When the hearing is scheduled, the judges office will send a Notice of Telephone Hearing to you in the mail. We do not know how long this pause will last or when the UIA will start trying to collect these overpayments again. Three months after the U.S. Department of Labor guidance was issued, the first group of blanket waivers went out to Check your MiWAM account once a week to make sure you do not miss any updates. The claimants provided the information and documentation required by the agency but were later told they were ineligible for the benefits they received. The move came twodays after the Detroit Free Press highlighted that certain peoplewho received Pandemic Unemployment Assistancebenefits were accused of misreportingtheir income and were to repay the excess benefits they had received. Recovery would be unconscionable under the circumstances. If states adopt the federal waiver standard, the new Department of Labor guidance would allow blanket waivers to be issued automatically to hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents who fall in specific categories. The news releasedidn't give an estimate as to how long it might take to issue waivers. Michigan Rehabilitation Services new layout, Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services (MCRS), Executive Order 2020-107 established Michigan Workforce Development Board, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, formerly MI Compensation Appellate Commission. Overpaid claimants who provided the Michigan UIA with gross earnings instead of net earnings will be the group to get waivers. If you were overpaid benefits and you are currently employed, contact the UIA Benefit Overpayment LANSING, MI More Michiganders who asked to repay their pandemic jobless aid will soon have their overpayments erased. We continue to monitor and advocate as the situation unfolds. Good cause can be very hard to prove. An overpayment happens when you receive more unemployment money than you should have received. The UIA has said it is reviewing how the categories would apply to claims in Michigan and determining how quickly the waivers could be issued. Already, weve issued 55,000 waivers for people who needed help and did nothing wrong, but thats not good enough, Dale said. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has begun to notify claimants This round of waivers accounts for 96% "We wont stop fighting until weve corrected past mistakes made by this agency so that not one innocent Michigander will face consequences as a result of asking for help they needed,"Julia Dale, thedirector of Michigan's UIA, said in the release. It is very important to read the notices, and protest or appeal on time using the process below if you disagree with the UIA's decision. Julia Dale directs the state Unemployment Insurance Agency. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. We will update this page if we get more information. According to recent reporting, the waiver program was much smaller than promised. There is not an application for this on MiWAM, but you can ask for the waiver by going to your main account page and finding the link "Send Unemployment a Message". Reassigned staff and resources to address the largest categories of claims that are contributing to the agencys case backlog. Since July 2021, the UIA has waived over $4.35 billion in overpayment debt related to federal pandemic jobless benefits programs on more than 407,300 claims. To date the UIA has waived over $4.3 billion in overpayment debt for more than 400,000 claimants with more to come. Claimants can visitMichigan.gov/UIAto access their MiWAM account to chat with an agent. More: Michigan Unemployment agency says claimants made big mistake. No Michigander who did the right thing when applying for benefits should be required to pay anything back resulting from errors at the federal level. It further states that a "state may authorize a waiver when or if the overpayment was not the fault of the claimant and Built a new, user-friendly website that is more responsive to those using a mobile phone or tablet to access services. Select Your County for Lawyers and Other Housing Help, An administrative or clerical error is discovered, You had a legitimate inability to act earlier, The notice or decision arrived late in the mail and you could not respond sooner, You were misled by incorrect information from the UIA, Take your federal and/or Michigan income tax refund. When we work any claim we recognize that each one represents a worker who has fallen on hard times, and a family that needs help to put food on the table, pay bills and keep a roof over their heads, Dale said. If you owe past income taxes or money to the UIA, the Michigan Department of the Treasury can take all or part of your federal and/or state income tax refund to pay the debt. They weren't told by Michigan's UIA until Friday that they would receive a waiver. Blanchard & Walker PLLC 221 North Main St., Suite 300 Ann Arbor, MI 48104, UIA CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Discrimination, PROFESSIONAL LICENSING AND DISCIPLINARY REVIEW, BW Wins Approval for $1.95M Delivery Driver Settlement. If your protests were filed on time, the UIA is not allowed to collect money before your case is final. The ALJ is not part of the UIA, so the judge won't have access to any of the documents you sent to the UIA. If you lose your appeal in front of an ALJ and you do not want to appeal your case again, you will need to repay the overpayment amount or ask for a waiver. If you were overpaid benefits and you are currently employed, contact the UIA Benefit Overpayment Collection unit at 1-866-500-0017 orschedule an appointment online to arrange repayment. Those 350,000 people wont be able to keep collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the future, however. You may want to repay the overpayment as quickly as possible. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. The name of the labor department varies for each state, but it provides a full listing of the state employment offices (see Resources). Governor Whitmer called on U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to expand the eligibility for waivers for Michigan workers who received federal assistance and UIAs Dale proactively advocated for waivers for Michigans workers who followed the rules when they applied for benefits were not negatively affected by decisions the agency made. Contact Adrienne Roberts: [email protected]. The agency, in its news releaseFriday, said the issue was due to "unclear instructions regarding gross earnings versus net earnings.". Since Dale was appointed director in October 2021, she also has: Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) provides the connections, expertise and innovative solutions to drive continued business growth, build vibrant communities, create affordable housing, generate tourism and attract and retain key talent to fill Michigans vast pipeline of opportunities. Read Appealing a Protest above to learn more. After the report came out, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) started sending some recipients letters telling them they had to repay thousands of dollars. Advocates continue to have discussions with the Agency leadership, and we are closely tracking when and how waivers will be issued to benefit the broadest possible class of Michigan residents who have suffered through this pandemic. To get benefits under the PUA program, the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) must have determined that your unemployment was directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This latest round of waivers adds to our robust work to reform the agency and get money back to Michiganders, while also cracking down on fraud and abuse and holding bad actors accountable at every turn.. Claimants say UIA is lying, More: Attorney for jobless claimants asks judge to stop Michigan from garnishing their wages. News Update: Promised Waivers fall short. When asked to self-certify, the individual did not respond or confirmed that none of the approved coronavirus-related reasons applied and the state issued payment, resulting in overpayment for the week. The UIA has said it is reviewing how the categories would apply to claims in Michigan and is determining how quickly the waivers could be issued.. A new system will allow for quick analysis of data that is currently not possible for the agency. Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA's request. 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